Rating: 
Summary: Plotless
Review: Soon after I read this book, I tossed it out along with my retro polyester pants and orange creepers. The concept of the novel is a clever one and it starts out as being cute and funny. Even as a gay male, I could identify with Phoebe and a lot of her unwise choices in men.Then somewhere along the line, the book loses what little bit of charm it has and suddenly you're finding yourself not liking Phoebe that much. As each man revolves his way through her life, you begin to dislike her and her choices more and more. Some of the boyfriends listed aren't even boyfriends but rather fantasy characters, penpals and in the case of Arnold Allen (the only Black guy who stereotypically appears on her list) a criminal. By the end of the novel you're thinking that she deserves everything that has happened to her. Some guys aren't good enough, others are too good and why doesn't she have any friends? One word for you Phoebe: THERAPY!! At first I thought this was going to be a Sheila Levine for the new millenium. Whereas Sheila's self-depreciating humor and poor choices in men endeared you to her, Phoebe's self depreciating humor had you hoping she would grab a bottle of sleeping pills and end it all. I guess Mrs. Rosenfeld is a fairly talented writer as she was able to evoke such dislike for her protagonist from me, but overall this novel went absolutely nowhere and was a complete waste of my time. I liked Bridget Jones better and that's a stretch. I wouldn't really recommend this to book anyone. If you can find a copy, check out Gail Parent's 'Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York'. Although it's well over trhity years old now, it still maintains a crisp, hip, cutting edge feel to it unsurpassed by any other writer writing in the same vein as What She Saw.
Rating: 
Summary: SHEILA LEVINE IS BETTER
Review: Soon after I read this book, I tossed it out along with my retro polyester pants and orange creepers. The concept of the novel is a clever one and it starts out as being cute and funny. Even as a gay male, I could identify with Phoebe and a lot of her unwise choices in men. Then somewhere along the line, the book loses what little bit of charm it has and suddenly you're finding yourself not liking Phoebe that much. As each man revolves his way through her life, you begin to dislike her and her choices more and more. Some of the boyfriends listed aren't even boyfriends but rather fantasy characters, penpals and in the case of Arnold Allen (the only Black guy who stereotypically appears on her list) a criminal. By the end of the novel you're thinking that she deserves everything that has happened to her. Some guys aren't good enough, others are too good and why doesn't she have any friends? One word for you Phoebe: THERAPY!! At first I thought this was going to be a Sheila Levine for the new millenium. Whereas Sheila's self-depreciating humor and poor choices in men endeared you to her, Phoebe's self depreciating humor had you hoping she would grab a bottle of sleeping pills and end it all. I guess Mrs. Rosenfeld is a fairly talented writer as she was able to evoke such dislike for her protagonist from me, but overall this novel went absolutely nowhere and was a complete waste of my time. I liked Bridget Jones better and that's a stretch. I wouldn't really recommend this to book anyone. If you can find a copy, check out Gail Parent's 'Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York'. Although it's well over trhity years old now, it still maintains a crisp, hip, cutting edge feel to it unsurpassed by any other writer writing in the same vein as What She Saw.
Rating: 
Summary: What She Needs...
Review: Talk about a voice! This book has a vivid voice, and a real person trying to have a good time with someone she can be meaningful to. Like so many young women, Phoebie looks for herself by falling into the arms of men who are not necessarily her friends. This book is thrilling, painful, hopeful over and over again, sort of like dating. A wonderful "concept" novel, and a fresh, new voice.
Rating: 
Summary: Overall, a pretty involving book
Review: The first time I heard about this book was when I read an excerpt in a magazine. The excerpt was very amusing so I eventually bought the book itself. I practically couldn't put it down. The beginning started out great but there were certain points in the book that lagged for what seemed liked forever. I don't know why a couple of chapters are 2-3 pages long, when others drone on and on. The only not-so-good comment I have about this book is that there was no definite ending. Lucinda Rosenfeld's first book is a great one and I look forward to her next one.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute title, but still....disappointing
Review: This book is enough to make any woman stop dating. Phoebe (the main character) was not familiar to me the way that Bridget Jones was. She went from man to man to man in search of....what? I could never really tell. The subtitled chapters were original, but the book left me bored and sick of Phoebe. If you get to read only a few books a year, I would not choose this one. It wasn't terrible, but it certainly wasn't enjoyable.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: This book is very well written, easy to read and incredibly real. I found myself relating to Phoebe and wanting to help her. Every woman who has dated, especially those of us who are or have ever been insecure and lonely, can relate to each of the situations. While reading I went through Phoebe's emotions with her whether I was happy, sad, embarassed, relieved or just laughing out loud. I definetely recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Among the very best I've read this year...
Review: This book is well worth reading, and it may be one of those that has a long, long life. Rosenfeld has a very sharp and very sympathetic eye, and her portrait of Phoebe Fine is both appealling and--later in Phoebe's quest--troubling. While the details are fun and absolutely on target, the novel goes well beyond being a simple period piece, a bit of Gen X, coming-of-age nostalgia. Don't be misled by the opening "chapters." This is much more than a book about someone in the fifth (or any) grade, though those parts are superbly evocative and essential to the story. Phoebe Fine, in her own way, travels the same twisted paths that most of us have. But don't look for a neat resolution. It's too true to itself for that.
Rating:
Summary: Sharper than Bridget Jones
Review: This book reads like a cross between Welcome to the Dollhouse and a John Hughes movie. It is funny and brutally honest look at the trouble in looking for yourself in relationships. This has a great, self knowing heroine and is an andedote to all of the glossy girls dating books out there. The eighties stuff is hilarious to anyone who lived through roller disco, pac man and leg warmers. This is not a perfect book, but it sure was quirky, smart and fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: downhill book
Review: This book started out great. It was so interesting and it seemed so real! After about the first 5 chapters or so it started going downhill. The relationships kept getting less and less detailed. They also kept getting more and more about just sex. And can somebody tell me what was the point of the gunter chapter???? Overall I'd say it was worth reading...and i will probably read it again. But just a warning...once you reach the halfway point in the book...don't expect it to keep getting better
Rating:
Summary: But what did they see in Her?
Review: This book was very well written. I think Lucinda Rosenfeld is a talented author, and I will look for other books by her. That said, I found the book to be a "much of a muchness." In ten years, (age 16 - 26) Phoebe Fine never seemed to grow up, mature, reflect, or just grow, period. By the 10th or 12th man, I was a bit tired of her go nowhere, do nothing, victim mentality. I was also a bit tired of the men she chose--- never really seeing what she DID see in them. I'd give the writing style 5-stars, and the first half of the book 4-stars, but it was too much of the same thing to be more than a 3-star book overall.
Certainly worth reading though.
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